Automatic drain-cock.



A. W. LAWNIN. AUTOMATIG DRAIN' 000K.

APPLICATION FILED MAB. 20,1911.

Patented Mar.l 26, 1912.

ETV, l

UNITED sTaTEs PATENT oEEIoE.

ALBERT W. LAWNIN, 0F ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-'HALF TO LOUIS D.

` LAWNIN, 0F EDWARDSVILLE, yIIiIl'.I1\TOIS.

AUTOMATIC DRAIN-COCK.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known thatl I, ALBERT YV. LAwNiN, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of the city of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Drain-Cocks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to drain cocks for fire plugs and other similar purposes, and has for its primary object to provide an improved construction, combinatio-n and arrangement of parts in devices of this character, by means of which the water, or other fluid, remaining in a stand pipe, orother closed channel, is automatically discharged after the main service flow hasfbeen terminated.

One of the objects of the present invention is to providel an improved device of this character which will act automatically to close the drain outlet when the service flow is started, and to open said outlet when the service/flow is nished.

Other and further objects will appear-in the specification and be specifically pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawing exemplifying the invention, and in which Figure 1 is a vertical section of a tire plug provided with myv improved device, parts being shown in elevation, and parts broken away. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail section f showing the parts in different positions.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the tire plug, which is of well-known construction, comprises a cylindrical hous ing 1 with a discharge connection 2 provided eXteriorly with screw threads for the reception of, a threaded cap 3v for closing said connection when the plug is not in use. The fire plug housing is mounted upon the flanged upper end 4f of a service pipe 5, the lower end of the housing 1 being provided with an enlarged inlet chamber 6, between which and the upper end of the housing 1 is provided a valve seat 7, operatively re- Specicaton of lLetters Patent.

Application led March 20, 1911.

Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

Serial No. 615,486.

proved means for removing this water automatically constitutes the main general objectief this invention., For this purpose, the drainoutlet 11 has its outer end threaded to receive an elbow 12 of peculiar construction, said elbow being enlarged outwardly from the outlet 11, and deliected downwardly for the purpose to be presently eX- plained. The outer headed end 13 of the elbow 12 is threaded interiorly to adapt-it l to receive a threaded plug 14, provided with a hexagonal langefl, adapted to be screwed l into and out of position in the elbow 12.

Said plug` is provided with a valve aperture 16, the inner end of which is flared up- `wardly at 17 into an inwardly enlarging tween the flange 22 and the beveled portion 17 of the plug is a helical spring 23 which normally tends to hold the valve 19 in raised position, leaving a passage-way Aat the bottom for. the discharge of water from the stand pipe `1 of the plug. f

The upper end of the spring 23 is seated within a recess formed at the corner of the valve 19 and flange 22, so that the spring and valve are held together to obviate the possibility of the valve being displaced from the spring and assuming an incorrect position on its ret-urn movement. The tapered opening 18 in the plug lil serves to center the valve 19 in its return movement, should it be displaced from the position shown in the drawing. Furthermore, the ange 22 limits the inward movement of the valve 2() by engaging the walls of the elbow 12.

The operation of my improved device will now be clearly understood, and brieflyV stated is as follows: When the tire plug is put into service, the water rushes from the stand pipe 1 through the elbow 12, the momentum of the water serving to exert a pressure on the flange 22 sutlicient to overcome the spring 23 and to force the valve 19 into closed position against the seat 21, thus eiiecting a rapid closure of the valve which is readily retained closed by the water pressure. Then, after the flow of water has ceased and the head in the stand pipe l is reduced to the lower edge of the discharge outlet 2, the strength of the spring 23 will be sufficient to raise the valve 19, thereby opening the discharge out-let to permit the stand pipe being thoroughly drained to obviate all danger from freezing. It is to be noted that when the valve is in closed position, the flange 22 is elevated sufficiently far above the upper inner end of the plug 14C to permit the passage of grains of sand, or other grit, which ordinarily work considerable damage to valve seats in devices of similar nat-ure. On the other hand, when the valve is elevated by the spring 23 to release the entrapped water, such sand or grit becomes expelled from the valve aperture 16, the device being therefore adapted to maint-ain itself free from all injurious sediment.

That I claim is:

l. In a. drain cock provided with a downwardly discharging out-let, a valve operatively related to said outlet, said valve being provided with a tapered point adapting it to close said outlet, the inner wall of the cock being beveled to leave a wedge-shaped space between it and the valve, and re silient means mounted on said valve and normally separating said valve from said discharge outlet.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination with a valve housing open at one end, of a plug for said open end, said plug being provided with a contracted aperture and an inwardly enlarged passageway, a valve provided with a tape-red point adapted to close said aperture and with a flange extending above and spaced from the inner end of the plug, when the valve is in closed position, and a spring interposed between said flange and the wall of said plug adjacent said aperture.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination with a stand pipe, of a drain cock therefor comprising an outwardly enlarged valve housing, means for closing the outer end of said housing, said means being provided with a central aperture and with an inwardly enlarged passageway leading thereto, a valve reciprocably mounted within said passage-way,said valve being provided with a pointed end adapted to close said aperture so as to leave a wedgeshaped space around the valve, a flange integral wit-h said valve and overhanging the inner end of said passage-way, and resilient means interposed between said flange and said means for closing the outer end of said valve housing.

4. In a device of the character described, the combination with a stand pipe, of a drain cock therefor comprising an elbow, a plug at t-he lower end of said elbow, said plug being provided with a contracted opening in the outer wall thereof and an inwardly enlarged passage-way leading to said opening, a valve provided with a pointed end reciprocable to and from the inner end of said opening and with a flange, and a spring disposed between the inner end of said opening and said ange; said valve below said flange being of sufficient length to maintain said flange spaced from the inn-er end of said plug when the valve is in closed position.

ALBERT 7. LAVVNIN.

In the presence of- (l1-Ins. R. GILLEsPIn, J. B. MEGOWN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for :live cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

